Marcus Corvinus
Marcus Corvinus is a member of the Corvinus Clan, the progenitor of the entire Vampire species, and the original Vampire Elder. He is the main antagonist of Underworld: Evolution, and is portrayed by Tony Curran. History Born at some point in the mid to late 5th century"After sixteen centuries, William, the father of all werewolves, was dead." ~''Underworld: Evolution'' novelization, Marcus is one of the three known sons of Alexander Corvinus and his wife Helena, and the identical twin brother of William. Like his twin brother, Marcus inherited the Corvinus Strain in its active form, which had previously transformed his father into the first Immortal. Marcus shared a strong bond with his twin brother, whom he was closer to than anyone. According to the prologue in the ''Rise of the Lycans'' novelization, both twins, overconfident due to the knowledge of the fact that they were both immortal, would go out riding at night, with the belief that nothing could hurt them. One such night, while the twins were riding through the paths of the dark forests of the Carpathian Mountains, they were beset by a huge, black mountain wolf, lunging out at them from the shadows of the trees. The wolf first attacked Marcus, who was unable to defend himself due to his panicking horse"Ivory fangs glistened in the moonlight as the beast leapt at Marcus, who was taken unawares by the wolf's savage attack. His horse reared in alarm, whinnying in terror. All but thrown from his saddle, Marcus clung frantically to the rains of his panicked mount, unable to defend himself. The wolf snarled loudly as it went in for the kill, its hot breath steaming the cold night air." ~ Rise of the Lycans novelization, Prologue. William jumped in front of it and was able to kill the wolf with his sword, but not before it bit his wrist through his chain mail in its death throes. Marcus took his twin to a nearby inn to have his wounds seen to, but as the night wore on, William became seriously ill, developing a high fever, and racked by convulsions. The Corvinus Strain present in William's body reacted in an immune response with the rabies virus and the wolf's DNA deposited by the wolf's bite, causing it to mutate, changing William's entire physical composition. Before the night was through, William had become the first Werewolf"On that terrible night, before the shocked eyes of Marcus, William became the first Werewolf, a soulless monster with a bottomless appetite for slaughter." ~ Rise of the Lycans novelization, Prologue. While William was bitten by a wolf and became the first Werewolf, Marcus was later bitten by a bat, mutating his Corvinus Strain with bat DNA, resulting in his transformation into the first Vampire and the progenitor of the entire Vampire species. William soon went on to ravage the countryside of Hungary, infecting the populace with his highly infectious lycanthropy virus. In order to combat the growing Werewolf threat, Marcus approached Viktor, a dying warlord, to borrow his military genius and army in exchange for immortality. Viktor accepted and became one of the Vampire Elders. It is likely that Marcus also personally infected Amelia, as she is a Vampire Elder of similar age to Marcus and Viktor. With Viktor’s army turned immortal, Viktor launched the Vampire-Werewolf War. 600 years later, in 1202 A.D., Viktor led a charge into a Hungarian village which William had previously passed through. Instead of finding only William, they found an entire village of newly turned Werewolves. Viktor's army (now the Death Dealers), including Amelia, subdued and severely injured William. Marcus pleaded for his brother's life, but he had been betrayed by Amelia and Viktor, who meant to lock William away for life. Viktor, thinking that if any of the Corvinus brothers were killed, the Immortal bloodline would eventually die (a lie told by Marcus), locked William far away from the reach of Marcus. Marcus then swore vengeance against Viktor and all those loyal to him, but was able to do little, as the Death Dealers were loyal to Viktor alone. As the army became the first Vampire Coven, the Chain was implemented, a system where only one Elder ruled while the other two slumbered in hibernation. Viktor, with the aid of Amelia and the Vampire Council, undercut Marcus's power, ensuring he would never have the strength to free his brother. Thus Viktor remained the true leader of the Vampires, going as far as to allow himself to be referred to as the "oldest and strongest" of them. Marcus claimed that he enjoyed the company of Andreas Tanis, the official historian of the Coven, most likely because Tanis knew that Marcus was indeed the original Vampire. ''Underworld: Evolution'' On the eve on Marcus's Awakening for his century of rule, a Lycan plot to combine the Vampire and Werewolf bloodlines becomes evident. A captured Lycan scientist named Singe explains the plans of a powerful Lycan named Lucian under duress - and is killed by a death blow from Viktor. His blood seeps into Marcus's tomb and revives the slumbering Vampire, changing him into a Vampire/Lycan Hybrid. Marcus beheads the treacherous Coven regent, Kraven, after learning his memories, and burns down the Old World Coven, Ördögház. Determined that the time has come to free William, Marcus seeks out Selene, a Vampire Death Dealer who holds half of the key to William's dungeon. He fails on the first attempt thanks to Michael Corvin, Selene's Hybrid lover, who is also a distant relative of Marcus. He learns from Tanis that the other half of the key is held by his father, who had retrieved it from Viktor's body. Marcus attacks and seemingly kills Michael, then drinks Selene's blood, learning the location of his brother. Marcus then confronts his father, and mocks his "sentiments" about the world belonging to the human race, and accusing him of rejecting his own sons by standing by while William was imprisoned. He then reveals his true plan - to rule over a new race, one in his own image. He seeks to replace his "failed" race of Vampires who have followed Viktor more so than himself with that of Vampire/Lycan Hybrids. Marcus then severely injures his father and retrieves the other half of the key. Journeying to the old fortress, Marcus proceeds to release William from his dungeon. Their bond is so strong that even the crazed William recognizes Marcus and refuses to harm him. They are soon interrupted by Selene and the survivors of his father's company. Marcus combats Selene, and is enraged when a resurrected Michael fights and kills William. Marcus drives a wing talon through Selene, who survives due to her having previously drank of Alexander's blood. However, Marcus is distracted by the death of his twin at the hands of Michael, and is wracked by shock and grief. These emotions cause him to be temporarily stunned and off guard, and gives Selene her opportunity. She breaks off the tip of one of Marcus's talons and impales his head with it before shoving him backwards into the still whirling blades of a crashed helicopter, cutting him to pieces and killing him. ''Blood Enemy'' Marcus also appears in the non-canon novel, Blood Enemy. Here he has a son named Nicolae, who Marcus considers to be a great disappointment. He and Nicolae argue constantly, and Marcus is disgusted by his son's hedonistic personality. In an effort to subdue Nicolae's behavior, Marcus and Viktor arrange a marriage between their two children, Nicolae and Sonja. This causes Sonja to become so distraught that she admits her pregnancy by Lycan slave Lucian, and attempts to flee with him, leading to her execution at the hands of Viktor. In Blood Enemy, the relationship between Viktor and Marcus does not appear to be strained, and Marcus speaks kindly to Viktor when informing him that his wife had been recently killed in an attack by mortals. Another notable change is Marcus's appearance; while his character in Evolution is bearded and has red hair, he is described in Blood Enemy as being clean shaven with black hair. This is due to Blood Enemy being written before the production of Evolution. Personality According to the prologue for the Rise of the Lycans novelization, Marcus, like his twin brother, was a careless and over-confident youth due to the knowledge of his immortality. As a by-product of their identical Corvinus Strain, Marcus shared a bond with his twin brother that their father could never see. When separated, the twins could sense each other's presence when they came within close proximity to one other. As such, they each shared a strong bond of loyalty to each other, closer than to anyone else, even other members of their family. Their bond is as such that Marcus alone was safe from William's aggression, following William becoming the first Werewolf, and even after centuries of captivity and starvation. After William was bitten, Marcus's motivations for capturing his brother was both to protect William and any future victims, as well as to relieve his intense survivor's guilt."And yet, William could not be blamed for what he had become. Marcus stared in sorrow at his vanquished brother. If not for a capricious twist of fate, their destinies might have been reversed. ''William might have first Vampire, Marcus thought, and I... an animal. He alone understood how his brother had fought against the curse." ~ Marcus, ''Evolution novelization, chapter 3. While Marcus could not deny that his brother posed an enormous threat to both human and Vampire alike, Marcus, over the centuries, he remained steadfast in the delusion that he could bring his brother in from his bloodlust. So certain was Marcus of this, that he truly believed that he and William could rule he Vampire Coven together."William and I can still reign over the Coven as we were always meant to." ~ Marcus, Evolution novelization, chapter 3. Viktor, however, knew that Marcus's continuous sympathy for William was no more than a foolish dream. Viktor and Amelia's more realistic approach to William's condition would come to to cause friction between the three Elders, and would eventually erupt into Marcus's loss of power on the night of his brother's capture. This pivotal moment would forever change Marcus, causing him to gradually lose his sanity over the centuries as he stewed in hatred and vengeful thoughts for his fellow Elders and the Coven. "I shall not forget you, my brother, the Elder vowed. He wiped a blood red tear from the corner of his eye. I will bide my time until our moment comes round again. No matter how long we must wait, someday you shall be free once more. And the world will tremble before us." ~ Marcus, Evolution novelization, chapter 3 By the time of the events of the present, Marcus had gone far down the path of insanity"Fervor burned in Marcus's eyes, and Corvinus realized that his son had gone truly mad." ~''Evolution'' novelization, chapter 19, expressing the belief that it is the destiny of himself and his family to rule, planning to create a new Immortal race "in the image of their makers", and with himself as their new "god". He is sadistic, taking pleasure in biting victims just for the sheer pleasure of drinking their blood, aside from gaining information. His most despicable act was the slaying of his own father, which he did out of spite. Unlike Viktor, who expressed sorrow for his execution of Sonja, Marcus showed no remorse for killing family members. Whilst Marcus was once sympathetic to the plight of the human and Vampire races at the mercy of the scores of Werewolf packs roaming the countryside, the eight centuries spent wallowing in his hatred for Viktor and Amelia, left Marcus so wound up in his thirst for vengeance and eventual madness that he no longer has any empathy for the suffering of others, particularly when they stand in the way of his goals. By the time of his death, Marcus can be seen as a violent and narcissistic sociopath. Powers & Abilities Because Marcus is the first Vampire, his powers are superior to that of the rest of his kind, including Viktor and Amelia. His transformation into a Hybrid greatly enhanced his already formidable powers and granted him the ability to transform into a humanoid creature with bat ears, nose and wings. He has enough control over his transformation that he can turn only his hand into a claw as well as his wings, and can presumably change other parts of his body. Due to his age, he is also likely versed in weapons use, at least those of the medieval kind, such as swords, as he is seen using one to attack his father. *'Superhuman Strength:' As the first of his kind, Marcus possesses physical strength which far surpasses that of any other Vampire, including Viktor and Amelia. After his transformation into a Hybrid, his formidable strength was further enhanced, as shown when he lifts a massive, solid stone door to reach William, pulling down a helicopter from mid air using one of its cables and overpowering other Hybrids such as Michael or Selene (though Marcus also had the upper hand due to his superior combat experience and Michael was literally able to match Marcus's strength) on various occasions. *'Superhuman Endurance:' Marcus is able to endure multiple injuries, including being partially crushed by a small truck, sustaining multiple gunshots at point-blank range, having one of his hands destroyed by a helicopter blade, having one of his wing talons broken, being stabbed through the brain by said talon (though it did stun him) and is only killed when Selene pushes him against the same helicopter blade, thus tearing apart his body. *'Superhuman Healing:' Marcus likely has a very potent healing factor, given his age and status, which is only further enhanced after becoming a Hybrid. He is able to recover from various injuries due to being partially crushed by a truck in little more than a day. *'Superhuman Speed:' As a Vampire (and later Hybrid), Marcus can move at great speeds. *'Blood Memory Sorting:' Like all Elders, Marcus can read a person's memories by drinking their blood. *'Flight:' Due to him being a Vampire/Lycan Hybrid, Marcus developed a pair of bat-like wings that can deploy and retract onto his back. The tips of his wings are also extremely sharp and can be used as weapons to impale or slash opponents. Trivia * In all of the official credits, all novelizations, on the official websites, and in the production notes, Marcus's name is spelt with a 'C'. However, in the opening text crawl prologue of Evolution, Marcus's name is incorrectly spelt as "Markus". * Marcus's name is derived from "Mars", the Ancient Roman God of War, an appropriate name for the son of a warlord. * Tony Curran states in the production notes that Marcus is younger than Viktor, hence Marcus was only a Vampire for a few years before turning Viktor"It also means that Viktor, who is played by Bill Nighy in a flashback sequence that begins the new film, was merely a usurper. “I was the first,” declares Tony Curran of Marcus, “but it doesn’t mean I was the most powerful. I was an arrogant young vampire; Viktor was a powerful man and when he became a vampire, being older and more experienced, he took over the leadership." ~''Underworld Evolution'' full production notes. However, in the novelizations, Marcus is described to be chronologically older than Viktor. * Though Marcus despises Viktor the two are not so different, given that they both had family members killed. * Marcus is the first Vampiric/Hybrid character shown to feed on animal blood, though the first mention of this is made in the Underworld novelization. * It is possible that Marcus is loosely based Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, a Roman general and tribune who owned vast swathes of land on the Pannonian-Dacian frontiers, the future Hungary and Romania. The Wallachian-Hungarian royal family of Corvin claim direct descent from Marcus Valerius, whose agnomen "Corvinus" (from Corvus, or raven) is thought to have derived from a legendary encounter with a barbarian warrior, of exceptional size and strength, who challenged him to single combat. A raven is thought to have flown down and savagely attacked the barbarian blinding him, enabling Marcus Valerius to defeat him easily. The event inspired the Corvin family sigil, a raven clutching a ring in its beak. Quotes Gallery Marcusconcept.jpg|Concept art of Marcus's wing by Patrick Tatopoulos. seeing the village.jpg|Marcus sees the village. Marcus.PNG|Marcus takes up arms against the Werewolves. Marcusevo.jpg|Marcus during the village battle. Underworld-Evolution-s22.jpg|Marcus sees Viktor's treachery. Marcusescape.jpg|Marcus attacks Kraven's men. Marcus listens to Kraven.JPG|Marcus's wing talons stretch well beyond his body. Marcus talks to Kraven.jpg|Marcus confronts Kraven. Marcuskill.jpg|Marcus prepares to kill Kraven. Marcus accesing computer in safe house.jpg|Marcus in a vampire safe house. Marcus4.jpg|A wounded Marcus looks on as Selene and Michael escape him. Marcus1.jpg|Marcus in his Hybrid form. Marcusbarn.jpg|Marcus in a stable. Marcus speaks to Tanis.jpg|Speaking to Andreas. Bloodymarcus.jpg|Marcus after killing the crew of his father's ship. speaks to alexander.jpg|Speaking to Alexander. Marcus in the prison.jpg|Marcus in William's Prison. Marcuswilliam3.jpg|Marcus with William. Williamandmarcus.jpg|Marcus releases William. looking at Sel.jpg|Stares at Selene. Marcusmad.jpg|Marcus screaming in rage. Selene & Marcus, fighting..jpg|Selene confronting Marcus. Marcus.png|Marcus being stabbed by Selene. Marcuswolf.jpeg|A joke behind the scenes image of actor Tony Curran with a Werewolf. References es:Marcus Corvinus fr:Marcus Corvinus ru:Маркус Корвинус pt-br:Marcus Corvinus pl:Marcus Corvinus Category:Blood Enemy characters Category:Underworld characters Category:Male characters Category:Deceased Category:Antagonists Category:Characters Category:Vampires Category:Vampire Elders Category:Hybrids Category:Evolution characters Marcus Corvinus Category:Vampire Council members Category:Pure-borns